A Day in Paradise
by illegiblewriter
Summary: *Mirai timeline, G/V* Their story was always destined for an unhappy ending, but they made it last while they could. T for mild language and violence, standard for the Mirai timeline.
1. A True Warrior

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to PsychoAnn and her story "Close Your Eyes". If you would like to read it (and I suggest you do), it is in my Favorite Stories section on my profile page.

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue**

They say that in paradise everything is in harmony with everything else. Here, as evening grows closer the sky is in harmony with the earth—bloodstained red. Crumbling buildings make up what was once Orange Star City, and I wonder vaguely what it was like before it was a graveyard. Before it was a garbage dump. A battle field.

They say that in paradise all man loves his neighbor. I've met many people, and they all love their neighbors… if they have any. Man loves man, because somehow "humanity" has become a stronger word. It means something to be human and not hollow. Like the cyborgs.

They say that in paradise there is no greed. Well I've seen people die saving the lives of strangers. I've seen people abandon million-dollar homes with their young children and going to live in the country-side. I've heard stories of people giving up incomparable worth and possessions just to escape their own imminent death.

By all accounts, I live in paradise. But I'm not fooled. This isn't a paradise. And I know because I've seen the real thing. It's not much different from this… the only difference between this hell… and paradise, is one man. Son Gohan. 

This is the story of my four years… in paradise.

**Chapter One: A True Warrior**

Satan Videl struggled against the monolithic wall crushing her small frame into what was once a fire station. The pain was almost insurmountable, yet she kept pushing against the barrier, hoping against hope that maybe it would budge… even if just an inch. She was pinned there, and yet it wasn't enough to kill her—just yet. She wished the wall would either just kill her or move. 

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

But of course it wouldn't, and none of her meager efforts to shake the wall off of her was going to change that. Suddenly, she heard a loud explosion from somewhere around the block. Shit! Did that mean they hadn't left yet? She immediately stopped her labors and instead focused all her energy on breathing as slowly and quietly as possible… and trying to look as dead as the old man under the coffee shop table across the street. 

The sounds of the androids' blasting was coming closer with each passing second, and Videl wondered what could possibly be left of the city for them to be so occupied in destroying it. Almost as soon as this thought occurred to her, a whooshing sound like a jet zipped by, followed quickly by a crash a few yards away. Yet unlike a ki blast no flames erupted at the base of the coffee shop, and soon Videl saw a young man dressed in a battered orange gi heave himself out of the rubble, gently removing the limp arm of the old man that had fallen on top of him after his crash. 

The young man stared intently at the other side of the street from whence he had come, no doubt waiting for the androids to follow. Then, as if he could feel her eyes on him, he glanced over and she saw caught a brief glimpse of terror in his eyes. She knew at that moment that he was sorry he had waited for the androids to come this way, and was regretting not going back to their previous arena. He tried to fly away and draw the battle further from her…one of the only living souls still in the city, but the cyborgs had already arrived, so the battle commenced right there in front of her.

Videl's father had been a martial artist, and a very good one, at the time of his death ten years ago, so she knew by watching the exchanges between the two parties that the mystery warrior was a superb fighter. And to his advantage, he was definitely smarter than the androids. But they were faster, stronger, tougher, and lasted longer… so what chance did he really have? 

Actually, to call him a "mystery" warrior wasn't entirely accurate. True, she didn't know his name, or where he came from, and she'd never seen him before, let alone met him, but the underground radio talked about him all the time. He was a hero to all the kids at her shelter. They even had a nickname for him; they called him the Gold Fighter. But looking on at the duel raging above, Videl thought that "fighter" just didn't quite do him justice. He really was a warrior. A true, honest to goodness, romance novel, action-adventure movie _warrior._

He looked worn, and she strongly suspected that he was no where near being adequately fit to fight today. From what she had heard from the radio, he and the androids could fight so fast that the human eye couldn't even see them. But she could see plenty right now, and deep in her heart she felt both pity and thanks for this stranger. It might've been better for him to skip out today, and recover instead have his head pounded into the ground, but he had chosen to come anyway. He had chosen to save her today. 

The androids seemed to have noticed his weariness as well, and as the battle went on she could hear the black-haired one laugh at her warrior and say, "you shouldn't have come today, Gohan. You're too _weak,_" he snickered.

"Gohan"'s only reply was a fierce but failed punch at the android, who caught it deftly and smirked.

"I think we'll have to teach you a lesson, Gohan. You can't save _everybody._" And with that he took a ki blast like a knife and, still holding Gohan's arm, sliced right through it. From behind the blonde android gathered up enough momentum for a final kick to his neck which knocked him out. 

He fell like a stone, making a huge crater in the middle of the street. 

"Haha! C'mon #18, let's get outta here. This place is boring now that we've taken care of him."

"Aren't you going to kill him?"

"Why? He's the only _real _entertainment we've got. Let's keep him around a while longer."

"You're going to regret that one of these days,"

"Oh, please, #18. You're so overdramatic." He rolled his eyes and together they blasted off into the distance… and away from Satan City. 

As night approached, Videl's pain did not lessen, but her thirst grew. She desperately wanted some water to soothe her parched mouth, and hung her head against the wall in front of her to both signal defeat and to ease to tension in her neck. 

A young purple-haired boy had arrived a few hours ago to take Gohan away. Even then her throat had been too dry to call out to him to save her. She supposed she would never see her warrior again, and it was a shame, because she had really liked him. An attachment probably formed more on the basis that he had saved her life—if only for a few hours—than anything else, she supposed.

She was absolutely exhausted; she closed her eyes but couldn't sleep because the pain was too potent. She thought she ought to cry but couldn't somehow. So she just lay there, hunched and resting on the enormous block of concrete that had been slowly killing her the last few hours. 

She heard a sound, a lot like the wind but not quite, and very faint, very soft footsteps approaching. Reason told her she was delusional. She listened.

Then…

A soft hand on her shoulder. 

Gentle fingers took her wrist and began feeling her pulse. 

She opened her eyes and saw the man who had already saved her life once, coming back to finish the job.

He was intently focused on her pulse, but after a moment looked back up at her face and saw her blue eyes staring back at him.

"Are you alright?" He whispered.

Videl licked her lips in a vain attempt to moisten them, and nodded.

"I'm going to try and get this thing off of you, it'll hurt, but everything's gonna be alright."

She wanted to thank him. To throw her arms around his neck. To scream out his name and tell him he was the most wonderful person in the world. Instead she just nodded, but somehow knew that he understood all that she was trying to say.

Lifting the wall wasn't really a problem for him at all, and although it hurt like hell, she was extremely relieved to be free from all that pressure on her small frame. She collapsed almost as soon as she was free, and immediately her guts and blood began spilling out of her onto the ground below. She could feel herself growing faint even as Gohan turned her on her back, and was sure that _this time _she was finally going to die, when she felt a soft warm glow encompass her body and looked up to see Gohan emanating gently ki from his hands to her stomach. He wasn't _healing_ her, but his ki was enough to sooth the pain and give life to her blood cells which started clotting much faster than normal, and tissue even delicately pulled itself together.

"Now, this is just a quick patch-job. I'm going to have to take you the hospital in Baker to get you all better, so don't make any sudden movements, okay?"

He lifted her gently into his arms, and looking at her asked, "Have you seen anyone else around here that might be alive?"

Summoning all her will power, Videl managed to speak. "I was bringing three children into the city with me when they attacked. I told them to run into fire station and look for a bomb shelter. I think they made it."

"You brought _children_ into the city?" Gohan raised a brow. 

Feeling slightly offended that he would accuse her of being ignorant or careless, Videl sought to explain: "I run a small shelter in the wilderness for orphaned children. I brought them to the city with me so we could buy more food and carry it back."

"Oh, sorry," he had sensed the hurt in her voice, and felt bad for his implied accusation.

"If you find them alive, will you take them back home? We're in the Keiffer Mountain region. Just on the eastern skirts."

"Sure thing," he smiled, "now stop talking, you'll need your rest," and he gently took off in the direction of the nearest underground hospital.


	2. Still Thirsty

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes". If you would like to read it (and I suggest you do), it is in my Favorite Stories section on my profile page.

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue**

Ever since I was a little kid, I knew my dad was a hero. Mom used to tell me bedtime stories about all the great things he'd done. Defeating General Tao, hunting the dragonballs, saving Grandpa's kingdom from burning down…. So many people all over the world owed him their lives. 

Coward that I was, I never believed I'd measure up to all his wonderful accomplishments. Now I look back and realize that I've probably saved more individual people than he ever did—but I've let even more of them down.

I'd saved plenty of people in the decade following the arrival of the androids… but none of them ever bothered to return the favor until Videl. 

**Chapter Two: Still Thirsty**

"If you find them alive, will you take them back home? We're in the Keiffer Mountain region. Just on the eastern skirts."

"Sure thing," he smiled, "now stop talking, you'll need your rest," and he gently took off in the direction of the nearest underground hospital.

His voice was so sweet, and his ki like morphine on her damaged stomach, so once she turned her head into his shoulder and smelled his mountain scent it was really only a matter of when and not if she fell asleep in his arms.

She awoke hours later in the Baker Hospital, an IV by her side and no one really looking at her as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She was still thirsty. A glance to her left revealed a glass of water, which she eagerly drank, but it just wasn't enough. Even as the days passed and she returned safely back to her shelter in the Keiffer region (guzzling a few bottles of water a day) she found she could never quite get the taste of dry concrete out of her mouth. 

"Hey, Ms. Videl! Watch _me!_" A playful voice called from across the playground. Videl looked up from her place atop the picnic table to see Adrian, a bright-eyed six year-old who'd been living at the shelter since he was two, race from one end of the see-saw to the other as it bobbed up and down to adjust to his weight. 

Videl smiled, "good job, Adrian. Be careful and don't let the little kids try it,"

"'cus I'm a big boy, right Ms. Videl?"

"That's right,"

Adrian grinned, revealing a recently missing tooth—his first. Recommencing his playing, Adrian turned away from Videl and ran once again across the sea-saw. 

Videl couldn't help it. Babysitting wasn't exactly her calling in life, but in this new and terrible world it had become her passion. She and her best friend, Erasa, had come up with the idea for the shelter about five years back. Originally they had been located outside Orange Star City, but then a mere three months into the founding of the shelter, Erasa and five of the children had been killed when the androids attacked there. Soon after that Videl relocated, taking the only remaining children with her, to this run-down mansion in the countryside. The only person still living at Flour Manor was the fifteen year-old daughter of its former inhabitants, Airee. Videl nursed Airee back to health after finding her emaciated form locked up in the downstairs basement, and the former heiress now helped Videl run the shelter. They had made most of the playground outside by busting the furniture and rebuilding it. As a matter of fact, the sea-saw Adrian was now playing on once happened to be a very fine grand piano. 

"Hey Videl!" Airee called out from the dining room window, "Could you put Daisuke down for a nap? I'm cooking lunch," 

"Sure thing," Videl hopped down from the top of the table and went inside to find six-month old Daisuke rolling around on the floor, drooling on his fist. 

"Well aren't you Mr. Prince Charming," 

Daisuke just gurgled in response, sputtering out even more drool onto the floor.

"Oh, thank you, darling," Videl reached down, picked him up, and trekked upstairs to begin the arduous process of getting a baby to go to sleep. 

Still outside the mansion, Adrian and his buddies giggled on the playground until Airee called them in for lunch. They all leaped up from whatever other activities they'd been pursuing to stampede the kitchen table, all except for Adrian, who stayed behind to chase his shadow up the sea-saw a bit longer. Then, as he ran up for the third time, a tall shadow passed over his, relieving his sweaty back from the hot sun. Turning shakily around and breathing heavily, Adrian looked up and saw a strong, black-haired man land softly on the dirt path a few feet away from him. 

Neither of them said a word, Adrian just shook and gazed with wide, black eyes at the android. 

"Is this the children's shelter?" He asked.

Adrian panicked… he didn't want to betray the others inside. "No," he meekly choked.

"Adrian! C'mon, you're the only one who hasn't—" Airee walked up to the front door, "eaten,"

"Is this the children's shelter?" The man asked again.

Airee nodded, "can I help you?"

"Yes," the man stepped forward; just as he did, Adrian found his nerve and spurted out, "Airee, don't! I saw him fly! He's an android!" 

Gohan looked at Adrian, "I'm not an android," and he looked up at Airee, "I'm not an android. I'm…" he sighed, "the 'Gold Fighter'".

A wave of realization swept over Airee's face, "ooooooooh," she said, "I'll bet Videl told you about us," 

"Who?"

"Videl—black hair, blue eyes, big attitude,"

Gohan grinned, "yeah, that's her. I wasn't hoping you guys wouldn't mind—"and he reached behind him and Adrian noticed for the first tine that he had a sling across his chest with a pocket in the back to hold a--- 

"Oh!" Airee cooed, "of course we don't mind. Is it a boy or girl?"

"A girl, she was lying under her mom and dad in Jasper City,"

Airee came forward to take the girl out of his arm, which she just noticed there was only one of. This guy was sweet, but he didn't seem to have a clue about what to do with a baby.

Holding her new charge tightly to her chest, Airee asked, "Would you like to come in? I've just made lunch and I'm sure Videl will want to thank you," 

"Oh, uh," Gohan nervously scratched the back of his head, "if… you don't… mind,"

"Of course not," Airee turned to march back in the house, "and you come along too, Adrian,"

Her sharp address snapped Adrian out of his revere, and he trotted to catch back up. As they entered the house, Adrian tugged on Gohan's one arm. 

"Are you really the Gold Fighter?" He asked, still wide-eyed, but this time it wasn't with terror.

Gohan nodded and Adrian's mouth dropped. 

Once they entered the kitchen, Gohan followed Airee behind the counter where a buffet of lunch meat, fruit, and bread was set out, with a row of pink lemonade in cups at the end. 

"What would you like on your sandwich?" she asked.

"Uh, ham and cheese is fine," Gohan muttered, and glancing nervously at the long table full of children of every gender, age, and race munching happily on their lunch, a few casting curious glances his way, but no one seemed to mind his presence there like Adrian had.

"Look," Gohan whispered in Airee's ear, "how's Videl taking the… the fact that the kids didn't make it back?"

Airee contemplated his question a little bit, wiping mayonnaise on a slice of bread.

"Well, she could be better. She's so tough on the outside, you see. I'm supposed to be helping her, but she's the real boss and… and…" she struggled for the right words, "I just don't think she knows anyone to confide in," she looked up at Gohan, lightly pursing her lips, "she would never cry in front of me… or any of the kids for that matter."

Gohan nodded his head in silent understanding before suddenly breaking the moment by asking, "Where's Adrian?"

Adrian snuck off after Gohan and Airee went into the kitchen, and without anyone noticing, bounded upstairs. _I'm gonna have lunch with the __**Gold Figher!**__ This is so cool, I've gotta tell Videl!_

**ShadowMajin-** Thanks for the review, I'll do my best to keep updating regularly!

**Ms. Videl Son- **Haha, yeah, I don't really like to re-read something once I've written it down, so I tend to keep a few typos in the final draft, but hopefully it doesn't bug anyone. I'm a decent enough typist that those things don't occur with too much frequency, I believe.

**dbz-lover91- **Wow, thank you very much. Yeah… quality of fics has gone done significantly since I left the site a few years ago. I'm a little rusty at the fan fiction thing, so I hope I prove an adequate replacement for all those authors I admired back then.

**Noryale- **Thank you, I'm usually much quicker at developing plot, so I was scared of leaving the first chapter so…. bland, I believe is the word I'm looking for. But maybe that's just a sign of a more mature author? Hopefully? I appreciate the review .

**chimney leaf- **Yay! The first person to review a piece always holds a special place in my heart. Thanks again for the warm fuzzies!


	3. RockABye Baby

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes". I do not know who wrote the song in the prologue, it's just one my dad used to sing to me when I was little.

Happy Easter!

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue:**

_I saw raindrops on my window_

_Joy, is like the rain._

_Laughter runs across my pane,_

_Slips away and comes again._

_Joy, is like the rain._

_I saw clouds upon a mountain,_

_Joy, is like a cloud._

_Sometimes silver, sometimes gray,_

_Always sun not far away._

_Joy, is like a cloud._

_I saw Christ in wind and thunder,_

_Joy, is tried by storm._

_Christ asleep within my boat,_

_Whipped by winds yet still afloat._

_Joy, is tried by storm._

_I saw raindrops on a river_

_Joy, is like the rain._

_Bit by bit the river grows,_

_Til all at once it overflows._

_Joy, is like the rain._

**Chapter Three: Rock-a-bye Baby**

Videl hummed silently to the handsome infant in her arms. She'd never been much of a singer, but Daisuke needed some calming, so she figured this was the best compromise. _Poor baby, _she thought to herself. He was teething and desperately wanted his mommy's milk. When awake he constantly reached out for Videl's small breast, but she just didn't have anything to offer him. Taking care of babies was the hardest of all the ages, in her opinion, especially when you didn't have breast milk, and you'd never really done it before.

Sighing, Videl rested her neck on the rocking chair cushion and gazed up at the ceiling. She was on the far side of the mansion, in a room with heavy curtains to keep the room dark all day long for Daisuke's naps. The wallpaper, had there been light enough to see it, was baby blue with French designs etched on in velvet. The children had made paper and glitter stars for their arts and crafts activity one day and together Videl and Airee hung them in all the bedrooms. Right now a red star with gold glitter and Bob the Builder stickers hung above her head, and Videl couldn't hold back a small tear as it slid down her face.

Robby.

He was found with Daisuke, under a bridge in St. Martin's square. Only twelve when he first arrived. Thirteen when she took him to Orange Star City to find extra supplies.

But before she could dwell any longer, the door creaked open, and small sliver of light revealed the fluffy nature of the carpet.

"Ms. Videl?" Came the whisper.

It was Adrian.

"Is the baby asleep?"

Videl looked tenderly down at the black curl and chubby cheeks resting so calmly in her arms. He'd probably been asleep for a while now.

"Yes, just a moment though, Adrian," She carefully picked herself up and did her best not to disturb Daisuke as she laid him on his stomach in his crib. The infant murmured and shifted a little bit, but didn't wake up. A finger to her lips, Videl put her hand on Adrian's shoulder and led him out of the room and down the hall.

"Now what is it, hun? Don't you need to be eating lunch right now?"

"Yeah, and guess who I getta each lunch _with_ Ms. Videl! Guess who, guess who!"

But Videl didn't have to guess who, because climbing the stairs at that very moment was Son Gohan. He grinned when he saw the two of them, and speaking to Adrian said, "there you are squirt! Hurry downstairs, Airee isn't very happy with you for skipping your lunch."

"Aren't you coming with me?" The disappointment in his voice was heart-wrenching, but Gohan managed to be strong… he had been warned by Airee that children were irresistible manipulators when they wanted to be.

"I'll come back and eat lunch with you some other time, okay?"

Adrian seemed let down at first, but after he made Gohan promise he was perfectly content to skip back down the stairs.

Now the only ones left at the top of the staircase were Gohan and Videl. For a moment there was just silence. They hadn't spoken since she dozed off in his arms on the way to Baker Hospital, and they were really only strangers…albeit, strangers with quite a past. (A/n: Pu-_lease _tell me you caught that.)

After hurriedly rummaging her head for conversation starters, Videl chose: "I heard the androids call you 'Gohan'. Is that your real name?"

"Yes. And you're Videl?"

"Mmhmm."

There was a very brief awkward silence for a moment, before Gohan started delving into the real reason for the stiffness between the two.

"I'm sorry about your kids… the ones in the firestation."

"So they really are dead?"

It wasn't quite the answer he'd been expecting, although he soon realized he should be feeling guilty. "Yes, I'm sorry. I guess I should've come by and told you personally."

"It's alright," Videl shrugged. "You have more important things to do, you saved my life and… I should've known anyway." At this confession Videl was taken back to just moments ago when she'd cried looking at the little red star on the ceiling. She didn't cry just yet, but her face strained, her throat closed up and she knew that if she didn't want to cry in front of this stranger she had better not keep talking.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No," No reason to feel like she was at a therapist's office. The top of the stairs would do just fine.

"Well, the reason I came by was to bring you a little baby girl I found the last time I was out. I don't usually get the chance to look around after a battle. I'm either knocked out for too long to save anyone before a building falls on them or the androids beat my butt too far out of town," he gave a weak laugh. "Usually I just set whoever I find up with some food or blankets or something… but I was wondering," he licked his lips and glanced anxiously at the wall behind her, "I was wondering if I could bring by the children I find. That way I could stop dropping them off with complete strangers."

"That-that would be wonderful," Videl smiled.

"Great," Gohan breathed. True, the chances had been slim that she would refuse… but still. It was nice to get her approval. It was nice to talk to a human being.

They could faintly hear the sound of children chattering away in the kitchen, and Videl was about to suggest that they join them downstairs when a grinning Airee walked into view carrying a crying newborn in her arms.

"Hey Videl, I know you just put Daisuke down, but…"

"Sure, no problem," the two passed the wailing baby from one set of arms to another, Airee winking good-naturedly at Videl and heading back downstairs to calm the rukus.

"Well, I guess I'll let you—"

"Would you like to help?" The idea hit Videl suddenly, but it cheered her up and she thought maybe Gohan would appreciate some bonding with the little girl he had just saved… it always made her feel better to put a baby to sleep. They loved so much and so unconditionally.

"Uh…" Gohan was obviously very uncomfortable with the idea. It wasn't exactly in the curriculum Piccolo or his mother had raised him on.

"C'mon, you can help me name her," the feeling that this was a brilliant idea just kept growing in Videl's heart, she knew Gohan needed to see this.

"Well, alright. But don't blame me when she won't stop wailing,"

"Oh nonsense," Videl laughed and led him down the hall to another vacant room adjacent to Daisuke's, "you brought her all the way here didn't you? And she was just fine, although—eww—somebody needs a diaper change," she looked disapprovingly down at the newcomer.

As Videl set the baby down on the floor for an impromptu diaper-change, Gohan gazed around the room, which looked like it hadn't been used in decades. The walls were soft green with hand-painted pink flowers blossoming in different corners. The only piece of furniture was a water-damaged couch against one wall, but there _was _an enormous pile of diapers, blankets and baby clothes along the side wall and he assumed this was a sort of baby storage space.

"So, any idea about what you want to name her?" Videl asked.

"Can't say it's my thing. I'd hate to give her a name she hated."

"Well it's not her choice now is it?" Videl looked up from her place on the floor to see Gohan's worry, so she gave a sympathetic smile, "don't worry. We name kids here all the time. My friend Sharpener runs the supply train nearby and he named Daisuke."

"Well, if you say so," Gohan was still hesitant but took a spot next to Videl on the floor as she tossed a wad of diaper in the trash and began gently rocking and patting the newborn. He looked down at the little girl, whom he hadn't really observed since he first found her. She had dark hair, and beautiful onyx eyes, which were scrunched up and red at the moment from all her crying. On her small worn-out pink one-piece there was residue from the mashed bananas Airee fed her downstairs. She was so soft… and so beautiful… growing even more so as she slowly stopped crying and nuzzled into Videl's chest. This lastest development caused Gohan to lift his sights a little and watch as Videl gazed adoringly down on her new charge. There was a soft smile in her eyes that had been missing earlier when she tried to smile for him.

"You're so great with the kids," he just felt the words tumble out of him, without really meaning them to.

"Yeah, well, I love 'em," there was a hint of irony in her tone.

"Do you think you'll ever have one of your own?" It was a very personal question, but he wasn't thinking straight. Somehow, this atmosphere was breaking down his defenses.

Watching her face, Gohan saw that Videl had stopped smiling.

"I can't. It happened during one of the first android attacks."

_Now_ Gohan felt _really_ embarrassed. Why was he getting so personal? But then again, why did she?

Videl was equally shocked with her own frankness. _It must be the baby. I could pour all my heart out to a sleeping baby._

"I'm very sorry,"

Videl looked up at him, "you need to learn to stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault. But if you really want to make it up to me, you can make a bed for munchkin-pie here out of that shoebox and those towels."

Gohan eagerly set out to do just that, careful to move as silently as he could lest he shake up the delicate silence that was keeping the baby asleep. He presented Videl with a large box padded with the softest towels he could find in the room and thin blanket he assumed was meant for babies. Videl laid the blanket on the ground and swaddled the newborn as best she could and placed her in her makeshift crib. Together, Gohan and Videl took in the silence and just stared at the little girl, that elusive feeling of peace washing over them.

"How about Pan?"

"Hm?" Videl looked at Gohan.

"For her name. Is Pan okay?" It had sounded good in his head, but maybe he was just an idiot.

"Pan," Videl looked back at the sleeping baby, "it suits her."

**A/n: **First of all, the Pan-thing was a last-minute judgement call. Totally un-planned for. Seriously, if you go back to the last chapter, I had no idea that girl was going to be Pan when I wrote it. But I don't think it'll change my initial storyline. Hope you like it. Second, I'm _really _sorry the last chapter was so rushed. I glanced through it after I posted it and realized it was lacking the depth of the first chapter. I tried to make sure that didn't happen here, and I'll probably fix the second chapter fairly soon. Thanks, and please keep reviewing!

**ChorpReturns-** Aw, shucks. I'm honored. I forgot how great it feels to get reviews.

**SSJXThead-** Much appreciated.

**MarshmellowDragon-** okay, so you definitely have my favorite penname so far... very cool. And thanks for the awesome review, I'll do my best to keep updating!

**dbz-lover91-** Don't worry, there'll be some G/V love comin' up soon... I hope this was enough to satisfy you for a little while.

**Noryale-** beams, I know what you mean, I've deleted so many of my old "popular" fics out of sheer embarrassment. _Thank you_ for the wonderful review!

**ShadowMajin-** I don't really know what came over me… I've just got the writing bug this week. It'll be interesting to see how things go once Spring Break is over.

**Ms. Videl Son- **I always loved getting these stupid little comments back whenever I reviewed a fic, I'm glad you do too! I'm sorry about Erasa as well, but I'm glad you've recognized that it's a bi-product of the timeline. I'm hoping to show that in upcoming chapters… a lot of people are gonna die…


	4. Sour

A tribute to my favorite couple of all time

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes".

**A Day in Paradise**

**Previously:**

"How about Pan?"

"Hm?" Videl looked at Gohan.

"For her name. Is Pan okay?" It had sounded good in his head, but maybe he was just an idiot.

"Pan," Videl looked back at the sleeping baby, "it suits her."

**Chapter Four: Sour**

Dust rolled playfully along the narrow yellow road and drifted off over the high cliffs. It followed behind a medium-sized truck, stuffed all the way to the ceiling with food, clothes, and various supplies. Rounding a final corner the truck rolled off onto a second path that traveled farther from the cliffs and closer to the dark woods looming ahead. It traveled about a half a mile into the trees before it stopped next to a large and aging oak.

The truck driver, a handsome blonde man in his early twenties poked his head out the window.

"Oi! Videl!" It wasn't exactly a shout but it was loud enough to catch the attention of one Videl Satan, snoozing upon the limbs of the old oak tree. Videl had clearly not been meaning to fall asleep; the look on her face as she gained consciousness was enough for Sharpener to know that. Instead, he just chuckled and invited Videl into the passenger's seat.

"Taking a day break?" He joked, as she shut the door and he started the engine back up.

"I guess I didn't realize how tired I was. I was coming out to meet you seeing as you _always_ get lost," she shot him a playful glare, "and I just conked out."

"I see. Who's watching everybody?"

"Airee and Conrad."

"Is Conrad really that old now?"

"Yup. You wouldn't believe what he did last week though…"

The conversation went along in the same playful manner for the rest of the car ride. Videl had to stop Sharpener from making two or three wrong turns, but she missed one and they ended up having to back track a little ways before they finally pulled up to the mansion gates.

A couple of kids were already coming over to help unload as Videl and Sharpener opened the back of the truck and starting handing down stacks of supplies. When Videl made her way into the kitchen with a heavy load in her arms she met Airee on her way out.

"Hey Videl, guess who showed up while you were out," she had that twinkling look in her eyes that girlfriends tend to give in order to make their girlfriends blush. She wasn't disappointed, Videl didn't exactly blush but she did hide her face in embarrassment as she set her load on the counter.

"Just help unload Airee,"

"Wait, who's here?" Sharpener had just come in through the kitchen door when he received a hard jab into his stomach from Videl. Behind her, Airee mouthed "Gohan," and the blonde's mouth formed an unmistakable "oh" and immediately began to glance around, looking for the man he'd never met but only heard about.

Neither Videl nor Sharpener had enough time to look around however, marching in the little beltline that had formed from the truck to the kitchen. By the time the truck was unloaded a mountain of supplies sat in the kitchen, on the counters, on the floor, the table and the chairs. Airee set about in the limited space to make as much Mac-and-cheese as possible for the kids sitting in the living room and Videl began putting groceries away, setting aside piles for the bathrooms and bedrooms to be hauled up later. Sharpener was set the _difficult _and _mentally exhausting _job of putting a movie in the VCR and sitting on the couch.

"Where's Gohan, Airee?" Videl tried to ask casually, hoping Airee was too busy with the food to notice. She wasn't.

"Upstairs. Resting," she actually _winked _at Videl. "Would you like to take him up some lunch?"

This time Videl did blush. It was exactly what she had been planning.

Airee just smiled and pointed to a tray of food next to her. By now they had learned of Gohan's enormous appetite and it was stacked high with food.

"Thanks," Videl mumbled and she slithered away out of the kitchen to the sound of Airee's giggles.

Gohan didn't come by very often, but when he did he was usually tired or injured or both. Airee and Videl had set up a room just for him when he came by and filled it with bandages and pillows and snacks. Videl headed straight for that room and poked her head inside to see Gohan, awake, looking out the window. He glanced over at her when the door creaked open.

"I've brought a present," Videl sang, and she smiled when she brought the food into his view.

Gohan grinned and tried to set himself up, but it was extremely difficult with only one heavily bandaged arm. Videl finally set the tray down and helped him sit up in bed.

"Lean over and eat," she commanded, he obeyed and she set about undoing his old bandages while he ate.

Videl struggled to keep herself from cringing. She had bandaged Gohan before, but this was bad even for him. His back was anywhere from three to seven different colors depending on where he had been hit. Skin was peeling off and she could even see white where his spine poked out as he bent over. She nervously began re-cleaning the wounds, guilt pervading her mind as she heard Gohan trying to cover up his whimpering by munching his food. She moved as quickly as she could, and wrapping new bandages around his body, silently prayed that he didn't have to fight again anytime soon.

His thanks came in a mix between a grunt and a groan and a whimper and a sob, but he was sincere. She stayed a little while longer, chatting and occasionally feeding him when his one arm cramped up.

"Where were you _this _time?" Videl asked, disapprovingly.

"Rough bar fight,"

"I see," Videl had to pause a moment, Gohan's sarcasm had caught her a little off-guard. It certainly wasn't his usual style. "I told you to be careful. You know how you get when you're drunk."

Gohan laughed. Apparently, he couldn't keep up the banter.

"You shouldn't try sarcasm Gohan, it isn't your thing."

He sighed, "I know, but I wanted to make you laugh."

"You do. Especially when you try and fail so miserably," at this they both chuckled.

"Now, I'm still a little confused about Chiaotzu…"

It was in this manner that Videl and Gohan had gotten to know each other over the last few months. By now Videl knew all about Gohan's heritage, although she often got lost in the details. Gohan also knew about Videl—her father and mother, her old friends and just what it took to set her off and calm her back down. It was nice to have moved past those awkward moments, and they soon found out that chance had somehow managed to bring to them their new best friend.

New best friends. That was a good way of putting it, Videl thought. She was physically attracted to him of course, but after all, who wouldn't be? It had taken a few rounds of dressing his wounds to fully acquaint her with his muscular physique, and she was never disappointed. But it was more of the way that he understood her, the way he took all of her crap without thinking anything less of her and the way he just looked at her that made her happy to see him. She was happy to have another friend. You had to be careful with your emotions these days. The adrenaline, the danger and the looming certainty of death made it so very easy to mistake friendship or a crush for something else, and Videl was not going to fall into that trap.

Down the hall shouts of "Uncle Sharpener" reached their ears, followed by the pounding of feet and the door opening again to reveal said "uncle" being dragged under by no less than four little ones.

"Videl! Get them off! Ouf! My hair!" Sharpener cried as one chubby little girl fell to the ground gripping a chunk of golden locks.

Videl and Gohan threw back their heads and laughed hysterically, until the kids realized who _else _was there and redirected their attack.

"Ouf! Ohh! Ouch! He—eah! No jump- ouf- ing o-on –uff Uncle yeaoh Gohan –Ahhh!!"

Together, Sharpener and Videl moved Gohan into the upper living room down the hall. The kids sat around and argued over whose team got to have Gohan for Chutes and Ladders and Trouble. People kept getting up and leaving, for snacks or to take care of one of the infants. Pan was a bouncy baby girl, showing she was made as the same tough stuff as her "parents". She was already holding herself upright and doing her darned best to stand up, but more often than not she just fell flat on her bottom.

Eventually though it was bedtime and they all trudged off, one by one, to their respective rooms. The four adults stayed up for awhile longer, trying to create some semblance of a normal evening while the radio hummed in the background. The room was comfortable; two couches faced one another with a rug in the middle and an empty fireplace on one wall. There were old paintings on the side with the door that faced four windows with the curtains pulled back. It was comfortable enough to laugh, joke, or throw pillows whenever Sharpener made a sexist comment, and to forget all about everything, except that they were happy.

Gohan and Videl were left alone in the upper living room later that night. Gohan lay out on the couch and Videl sat on the red and gold floor rug next to him. Together they stared at the dancing candlelight and made light conversation, more comfortable with each other's presence than anything else.

"My mom—she's still around but I don't get to visit her a lot—she makes the _best _chicken noodles," he closed his eyes and Videl almost laughed at the look of pure ecstasy on his face.

"Why don't you visit her more often, then?"

"Same reason I don't come here a lot. It's rare that there's a place the androids haven't destroyed yet, so when I find one I like to keep it that way. I need to keep those I care about safe. And then," here he paused to look over the edge of the couch. Cerulean gazed into onyx and both became intimately aware of just how close they were, "whenever I see her… it makes it so much harder to leave."

Videl finally had to drop her gaze and she knew Gohan had lifted his eyes back to looking at the ceiling.

"I want to meet her someday."

"Who?"

"Your mother of course. She must be amazing. Married an alien warrior and raised you. Tough stuff."

Gohan smirked, "you have no idea."

"Don't I?"

Gohan laughed, "there was this one time, a few years before the androids. My dad was still in outer space on his way home,"

"Wait—when was your dad in outer space?"

"Namek exploded, remember?"

"I thought he was wished home,"

"No, that was Krillin. Didn't I tell you all this already?"

"Probably, but I've forgotten. I was a little hung up on the bringing people back from the dead and the aliens and the exploding planets,"

"Well, anyway, she'd hired a tutor and—"

A weak beeping noise escaped from the radio which had previously only been emitting a soft buzz. Gohan reached over and turned up the volume in time to hear the warning call for Gingertown to evacuate as soon as possible.

He had just enough time to give Videl an apologetic look as he leaped off of the couch and rushed to put his shoes back on. Videl was watching him with anticipation, dimly registering the sound of the radio repeating its message. She quickly turned the radio off, not wanting to hear anymore. Gohan was already opening the window, and the thoughts Videl had had earlier while cleaning his wounds resurfaced.

"Gohan, wait!" And diving across the floor she grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him back into the warm room. She quickly shut window and turned around to face him, nervousness etched all over her face.

Gohan was standing dumbfounded, "I have to go Videl," he said, as if to a child.

"I know, but, Gohan…"

"When I get back, Videl," his eyebrows furrowed and Videl was certain there was a hint of a growl in the back of his throat.

"I don't think this is such a good idea."

"Why not?" There was definitely a growl now.

"You just got back! You're _injured!_" She didn't know any other way to put it. She was practically pleading, knowing he would never see her side of things. But she had to try.

"I get injured all the time. It's part of what I do,"

"Of course it is, but there's more than just the short run we need to worry about!"

"Short run? People will die, that's what happens in the short run!"

"It happens in the long run too, except there will be more of them if you're not around!"

"I'm around now!"

"But you won't always be! You could barely move this morning!"

"I have to go! I have to protect them!"

"Every time you go you come that much closer to death! And once you're gone, _then _who's going to save them? You're all we have! You're all anyone has!"

"It's my life to risk!"

" It's not just your life you're risking! Be a little more careful about how you go about dying!"

"And what am I supposed to do? Just _leave _them?"

"Yes!!"

Silence invaded what had only moments before been a furious battle scene. Light flickered and blinked behind Gohan's back, and Videl saw the flames in his eyes.

The answer had come out before she could even think about what she was saying. Yes? Leave them? Somewhere in the furthest corners of her mind she began to feel uneasy, but she was stubborn and passionate and made up her mind. Yes. If Gohan died now then it would only mean more people died in the future. He was the first and last line of defense, there was no way around it. But Gohan only glared at her, and back in the uneasy reaches of her mind she didn't blame him.

Finally, Gohan stood straight, the fire and anger gone from his eyes, leaving only a cold stare behind to look at her. It was like pity. It was like hurt and betrayal. It was love gone sour.

**A/n: **Um… so I kinda wrote this a little outta order…. Ok, a lot outta order, so it may not have been the best. But I'm excited about the next chapter… it's super fun. ;) Pure G/V. Nobody else. Not a soul.

Preview:

When she turned she saw Gohan with his face in his hands. He sighed, "how are we going to do this?"

"Simple." Well, it wasn't really. But the answer had come so swiftly that it was as close to simple as simple could get nowadays. "Teach me how to fly."

**ShadowMajin-** Nope, you've got it right, see what I wrote for dbz-lover91! Thanks for the review!

**Dark Whispers-**Thankee mucho!

**Ms. Videl Son- **I am so glad you mentioned Videl's characterization. I noticed how I was making her slightly too weak (after all, she only cried once in the series), and in the back of my head I knew I needed to re-focus her personality. I think that if no one had said anything I would have somehow managed to ignore it because she is such a hard character to write, especially in this timeline. You have to walk the fine line between Videl's strength of character, the trauma she's been through, and remember that she has very sensitive moments in the series. I hope this chapter did a better job of defining the former, whereas the previous three focused on the latter. Please continue to give me honest feedback, I need someone to hold me to those high standards or I'll lapse.

**dbz-lover91- **Nope. No children for V-chan. But, if you haven't noticed yet, Pan is going to be a symbolic marker of just how far along in their relationship Videl and Gohan are. I think it works.

**Noryale- **Not that it's any big deal (I don't think you mind much either), but, here's the truth on the bananas thing… ummm… -embarrassed- I couldn't remember what formula was called so… I kinda prayed that no one would notice and just wrote about bananas… Oo. I can change it if it bugs anyone… But enough of the ramble, thanks for the review and thanks for keeping me on my toes!

**Auquaphor- **I'm glad. I was worried I was going too slowly. But if this wasn't going to be a one-shot then I needed to add an actual –plot- and be serious about it. My options were for them to fall in love passionately and quickly, and therefore weakly, or slowly in a way that would last forever. I'm trying to keep their romance in this timeline as similar to the way it was in the original, and it was –not- love at first sight in the original. ;)

**MarshmellowDragon- **Yeah, same as what I said for dbz-lover91. Thanks for being such a loyal reviewer!

**GoukuVidel-SuperSaiyan**- Thanks for the great reviews, especially for reviewing all three chapters. It's always cool when a new reader does that. I used to, but then I got tired of all that typing every time I found a new story. 

**thekiller00- **Thanks for the review! I hope you're still interested!

Hope I didn't forget anyone! Remember, reviews updates!


	5. About Time

A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes".

A Day in Paradise

**Previously:**

Finally, Gohan stood straight, the fire and anger gone from his eyes, leaving only a cold stare behind to look at her. It was like pity. It was like hurt and betrayal. It was love gone sour.

Chapter Five: About Time

The taste of Videl's so-called betrayal lingered in Gohan's mouth the whole of his battle against the androids in front of Gingertown. Despite his delay, he was able to cut off the androids' path and allow the city to evacuate. But that didn't stop him from being distracted. This battle was particularly brutal because every blow, every knock against their steely bodies was magnified by ten. The pain came less from his previous injuries and more from the knowledge, now shoved forcefully to the forefront of his mind, that one day there would be no more pain from him, but plenty to still go around for the people of Earth.

After finally registering that the citizens of Gingertown had escaped, Gohan made his traditional dive out of the sky as far away as he could run. Somedays he would stay and fight, making sure that the androids were too worn to attack again anytime soon, but other days he had no choice but to run, and today it was about time he ran.

"He's behaving more and more like an old chew toy," #17 remarked, gazing at the spot Gohan's retreating form had last been seen.

"Probably because you keep knocking the stuffing out of him," #18 snickered, "are you going to throw him away yet? If he gets much stronger—"

"What?" #17 laughed, "he'll beat us? Not a chance! C'mon #18, let's go," with that the black-haired murdering machine blasted off in the direction of Dr. Gero's lab, where he and #18 spent most of their time recuperating and fighting each other. #18 was a little further behind him than usual, having spent a few extra moments contemplating Gohan's increasingly faint ki in the distance.

lililil

"Aiden!" Videl screeched, "Get back here this _instant!_" No, no, she was not meant to be doing this. _This_… oh, someone stop them! "Aiden!"

There's a possibility that Aiden considered actually obeying Videl's order and _stopping_ and it's likely that he did but the shivers sent down his spine by Videl's threatening hollers stopped him from considering it any further. And fact was, he was just as mad at Videl as Videl was at him.

Finally catching the young boy, Videl took hold of his shoulders and turned him around to face her. Her legs were tired from the long and active day, but she squatted in order to make level eye contact with the miscreant. Looking into his shifty gaze, Videl held Aiden firmly and spoke even firmer: "Aiden, you know a lot better than to hit your friends. Extra time in time-out because you wouldn't listen to me. Do you understand why you're going in time-out?"

Aiden nodded, hiding his bitten lip. "It's your fault anyway,"

"It's not my fault, Aiden. I didn't hit Kiera."

"But you made Gohan go away. Did you hit him? You should go in time out because you _took him away!_"

"She didn't make Gohan go away. And don't talk back to your elders, you hear me mister?" Airee called from the doorway just behind the scene, "Aiden, get in here and sit in time out. We'll have a talk later," the little boy reluctantly slouched off behind Airee and plopped down in a small red plastic chair set up in the corner of the kitchen, sniffling.

"You didn't make Gohan go away. He left on his own," Airee whispered to the still dumbstruck Videl; then she turned back inside Flour Mansion and closed the door, leaving Videl alone in the yard to contemplate a rare and painful silence.

lilililili

Far in the east, off of the coastline of a wide island, the sun was setting. Just breaking the horizon and lighting up the surf crashing tumultuously on the rocks guarding the sand. Beneath the thunderous waves, however, was another storm letting out more fury than even the vast oceans.

Gohan raged, aiming a strong kick at a rock on the ocean bed. Of course she was right. Of course Bulma told him the same thing every time she saw him. But damned if he was just going to sit back and enjoy pieces of his broken life while other people went on and died by the thousands. He did well. He sometimes was able to fight the androids far enough away from a city that they were able to evacuate and hide. And it was _worth _it, wasn't it? He slammed a fist into the underwater trench, _wasn't it?_

He was broken and pissed that Videl—_Videl_—would tell him to let people die, but she had only awakened him to reality. The reality that one day he wasn't going to be around any more. Maybe his lost arm should have done it, but it was her instead. He wasn't always going to be able to defeat the androids. Earth would need someone else, and he wasn't going to let Bulma or he deny that any longer.

It was about time Trunks learned to fight.

lililili

Was she repulsed by herself? Was she being selfish?

She was repulsed. But she was telling the truth.

She was being selfish. But she was telling the truth.

Then there was that other truth. The one she wasn't supposed to be feeling. That she didn't want him to go, but loved him more every time he went. He was stupid because he didn't care. She was stupid because she did.

It was about time they just became stupid together.

lililili

"Bulma,"

"No,"

"Bulma,"

"No,"

"Bulma," Gohan looked at the blue-haired woman meaningfully. Bulma retorted with a stern glare sent over the rims of her glasses.

"I see you've learned my name. No." At this point she returned her gaze firmly back to the computer screen. Earlier she had been begrudgingly marching through the lab, picking up various engine parts and stubbornly refusing to meets Gohan's eyes. Now at the computer she thought she had beaten the young Saiyan but typed furiously just in case he didn't get the point. Bundles of multi-colored wires teeming with electricity and the fever of a race wove throughout the lab. The bland tiles, cold and some broken, contrasted starkly against the colorful heat of the wires; none of it reflected the prime condition usually required of world-class machinery.

"You're the one who always says that I won't be around forever,"

"Don't use my own logic against me," Bulma looked aghast at Gohan's choice of words, "It's not nice,"

"It's not nice but it's true," Gohan inwardly flinched. It seemed he would be using the logic of more than one woman in order to win this argument. Knowing this, he sighed, "You don't have a choice anymore Bulma, I'm taking Trunks now. I'll make sure he's safe, and we'll keep in touch," with this, Gohan solemnly turned around and walking out of the lab, Bulma's soft and questioning voice:

"What's happened to you Gohan? You grew up after you first fought the Saiyans, and you got older after Frieza. I thought you were all grown up the first day you came back from fighting the androids. But you're even older now. Who did you fight with that you're even older than me?"

lilili

Inside the secret mansion rose a gentle chorus of humming. The swishing hum of the wind, whistling through the trees and the windows. The whistful hum of little dreamers gone to their fairy-lands. The glad hum of one in the kitchen. The hum of water rushing from the faucet to the sink as another solemnly washed the dishes. The birds, the children, their caretakers, and nature hummed.

Slowly, another hum joined their serenade. Soft, calm, steady. It made its way down from the clouds like an angel watching its charge. Two sets of boots stopped in mid-air, halting the sweet sound of wind rushing past their flying figures. The mansion slept quietly, caught in the lull of musical hums. The two masters in the air offered a new sound: the hum of falling fire, blazing flames, heat emanating from all sides.

The crescendo of sound continued, voices joining the orange element rising to the sky.

The sweet hum, the gentle music, the soft sound, of going to heaven.

lilililil

Trunks' sweating body collapsed to the ground in a heap. Heavy panting characterized his next few moments on the cold earth before he frowned.

"Gohan, not that I'm objecting, but why aren't you attacking me right now?"

From up above his mentor stood in the air, searching into the distance, his brow furrowed and concentration far from his pupil below. After a rather long delay, he seemed to hear Trunks' words and looked at the beaten and bruised teenager.

"Rest up, I'll be back tomorrow." And he sped off, too fast for even Trunks to ask what was going on.

lilililil

Flying frantically over miles of thick trees, Gohan squinted his eyes trying to find what had once been a very hidden and difficult to find clearing in the woods. But as he made a familiar turn in the air he saw immediately a clearing— a once formidable building in rubble, giant rocks crushing the homemade swing sets and seasaws. Nothing moved, nothing breathed.

_Dammit! I'm too late!_

Gohan may have been too late, but Videl wasn't the sort who needed a knight in shining armor. She had tensed up at the sink when she heard the whizzing above stop directly above the mansion. Animal instincts told her this was the calm before the storm, and for no justifiable or logical reason at all she sprang into the living room and different napping areas on the downstairs floor and began—almost brutally—awaking the children and throwing them into the kitchen. This all happened in a matter of seconds as Airee—amist screaming and crying children, wondering what just had gotten into Videl—heard the tell-tale sound of the roof crashing down and saw the flames that followed. Her eyes widened and the children cried louder as Airee kicked open the door that led to the cellar.

Airee wasn't sure just what it was. It wasn't quite irony, but she felt the completeness of what she was doing as she ushered the children down the cellar steps in the middle of crashes and flames. This was what her mother and father must have felt like, hiding their only daughter while the androids attacked. It was like going home to an old friend, to the sweet cellar that had saved her once before.

Now that the attack was over, Airee was left in charge of her old stomping grounds, searching the vast cellar for blankets for the eight shivering children she had with her, and thinking desperately of how she was going to get out of here this time.

Gohan began sifting through the rubble, as he had many times before in the cities, careful so not as to cause another collapse. He worked through the day, moving a pile of destroyed concrete to the east, dead bodies to the west. Around four he found his first live body, a little girl in pigtails, and he set her to the side with an apple and his shirt for a blanket. The girl was soon followed by an older boy, around the age of ten, who wasn't so hurt that he couldn't help Gohan move through the debris. As the sun began to set the two of them found the cellar door, which the boy assured Gohan was where everyone else had fled.

Anxiously lifting up the cellar door from its frame, Gohan was fully prepared for the block in the passage leading downward. It could only be expected that some of the underground places of the mansion caved in. What we wasn't prepared for was the groan and cries that arose from the place where he had tossed aside the door. Frowning, and yet hopeful, Gohan and the boy turned from the closed off cellar passageway and began clearing off another pile of concrete in the former dining room. The young Saiyan could hardly contain himself as he caught his first glimpse of a small, pudgy ankle. The sweetest, perfect-est ankle he'd ever seen in his life! It was the only part of Pan's body that wasn't covered by Videl. The blue-eyed woman had gathered Pan and Daisuke from their cribs on the second floor and shielded them from the crumbling stairs during a blast. As they were now Pan was completely unscathed crying her little eyes out, Videl was just coming to consciousness with a gaping wound in her skull, and Daisuke's neck was snapped completely backwards.

"Videl! Wait Gobi—" Gohan shifted his body to hide Daisuke from the youngster's view, "here, take Pan and I'll get Videl," he swept Pan up in his arms and passed her gently off to Gobi, still hiding the forms that lay behind him. As Gobi stepped precariously over the piles of rubble to return Pan to the safe spot designated by Gohan earlier, said Saiyan stooped over the bodies before him and sighed. He laid Daisuke on top of Videl and tied her shirt around him, then picked both of them up with his one good arm. Videl groaned a little and with a growing sense of déjà vu looked up into her rescuer's face. She didn't say anything, and Gohan didn't either. Finally, he deposited her and Daisuke down where the other bodies lay. Finally aware of her surroundings and the lifeless form laying on her lap, Videl bit her lip and began to sob.

"We're going to go down the cellar now. You should watch Gobi and Libi." Videl just nodded and went over to where Libi was playing with the grass, drying up her tears for the time being.

"They should be right through there," Gobi meekly pointed, and hoped against hope that he was right as Gohan removed the last of the stones blocking the passageway.

"Hey! Is anyone down there?" Gohan called.

"Gohan? Is that you?" From deep within the musty cellar the voice echoed, and Gohan and his companion could hear the gasps and weak cheers from within. "We're alright. We're all alright. Have you found anyone else?" Airee poked her head out from the darkness, a bright smile covering her face.

"Gohan!" And the warrior was suddenly being attacked on all sides from children big and small, all shouting, "I knew you'd come!", "You're here!", "The best hero EVER!" It was enough to actually make Gohan laugh.

Gohan sat down as Videl surveyed the damage. It wasn't until everyone else had gone to search for food and they were alone that Gohan spoke up.

"You were right. I've taken to training Trunks—he's the only Saiyan left, and if anyone can take my place once I've left, it's him," he seemed disappointed in himself, although she knew from previous conversation that it was his intention all along to train Trunks. There was something she was missing. Something about her words the other night she had yet to comprehend. But seeing his chest heave, and his cloudy eyes cast achingly at the blue sky, she didn't have the heart to press the matter.

"Hopefully this means I can take better care of all of you,"

She gave him a questioning look.

"Well, I can't let this happen again, now can I?"

"And exactly how do you propose that you stay near enough to guard us while training Trunks and not expect the androids to find us again, hm?" Really, how thick could he get?

Gohan sighed and let out small laugh, "I don't care what you say. I don't care if it's reckless. I _will _do _everything_ in my power _at all times _to take of you." His eyes had gone soft as he turned his gaze from the cheerful sky to the weary girl before him.

His gaze brought back feelings she had tried to forget, a sort of soft love and admiration brewing beneath the surface. Trying to stop her heart from carrying her away from the issue at hand, Videl briefly turned her back to him and tried to think clearly. But she had no real rein on her thoughts at the moment. Her mind brought forth the first time she had ever laid eyes on Gohan and she reluctantly allowed herself to go on that journey again; remembering Son Gohan, defeated, just as he was now, she felt relief and adoration soar in her heart once more.

_He looked worn, and she strongly suspected that he was no where near being adequately fit to fight today. From what she had heard from the radio, he and the androids could fight so fast that the human eye couldn't even see them. But she could see plenty right now, and deep in her heart she felt both pity and thanks for this stranger. It might've been better for him to skip out today, and recover instead of having his head pounded into the ground, but he had chosen to come anyway. He had chosen to save her today._

He had chosen to save her.

She looked around at the pile of rubble that had once been her home. She wouldn't be saved anymore.

When she turned she saw Gohan with his face in his hands again. He sighed, "how am I going to do this?"

"You mean how are _we _going to do this," she corrected. "Simple." Well, it wasn't really. But the answer had come so swiftly that it was as close to simple as simple could get nowadays. "Teach me how to fly."

"Teach you what?" He looked up disbelievingly into her eyes. They shone firmly.

"How. To. Fly. If you can, I can. I'll be able to fly the kids to safety, and you won't need to worry about us anymore."

"Videl, it's just not that simple,"

"Why isn't it Gohan?" Videl's voice became stern and her face hardened. Her brows furrowed and glare aimed directly at Gohan, he was forced to confront her steely resolve head-on, and knew it was useless. It was like she was blackmailing him: teach me to fly or else.

"I mean," Gohan tried to think exactly what it was he meant, but the more he tried the more he realized just how right Videl was. If she could fly… if Trunks could fight… he wouldn't be doing it alone anymore. "Okay," he shrugged, "far be it from me to stop you."

Videl almost jumped back at his answer. She hadn't expected it to be quite that easy, what with his severe hero-complex and all. But as soon as she was sure he was serious, a grin broke out on her abnormally stern features, and she dived down into Gohan's arms, knocking his battered and bruised form back into the dirt.

Next Chapter: Videl's flying lessons and la amor.

**A/n:** Super sorry about the long wait. Basically, if you scroll up to that part where the androids attacked Videl and the children… that's what's to blame for the hold up. I think that tiny four paragraph segment took me about two weeks to write… PLEASE REVIEW!!

**ShadowMajin-** I know exactly what you mean when you're talking about the kids jumping on Gohan. I had the word "said" beaten out of me in the fourth grade and have a very hard time bringing myself to use it most of the time. I usually try to find another word, or in the case of Videl and Gohan's argument, trust that the conversation is powerful enough to carry on without it. As for the instance you're talking about, I see what you mean, and maybe if I'd done better editing I could have fixed the problem. As for the Sharpener-Gohan meet, that was just plain laziness. Most of the chapter was already written and I flat out didn't feel like putting it in. Again, better editing on my part could have solved it. Thanks for your awesome review. I always appreciate the criticism, it means that when you say you like it that you really mean it!

**Videl161-** Thanks, and yes, I'm pretty sure Pan and Daisuke –will- call Videl "mom" when they're old enough to… but let's not spoil anything! :)

**dbz-lover91**- Thanks for the long review, I hope this was enough G/V until the next chapter and that I can live up to your expectations with Videl.

**Miss-apple-dbz-** You have _no idea_… no… idea… how much your reviews meant to me. I think I might love you.


	6. Taking Flight

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes".

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue:**

Do you remember Christmas? I do. I remember my mother's eyes, smiling just for me. The first Christmas I remember is the one we spent at Capsule Corp, the year of our rebuilding. When we returned home my mother lit a fire in the fireplace—she always loved that, she said it was because you couldn't used to light a fire, lest smoke rise through the chimney-- and we sat on the shaggy goldenrod rug with hot chocolate, a pile of torn wrapping paper in the corner beneath a tree. Then, after giving me an extra helping of marshmallows, she handed me a present. A final present.

I tore the red and green wrapping paper off, and was disappointed to find the back of a picture frame. I had been wishing for another doll, or legos, or at least a puppy.

"Who is it?" I asked, wanting to know who was responsible for my lack of a furry plaything.

"He's your father."

I now looked at the man with genuine interest. But I was still too young to see what I see now.

Mom loved my father.

**Chapter Six: Taking Off**

"Gohan, I'm very tempted to rip your other arm off if you don't hurry up!" Videl growled from outside the front door. The morning was cool, the sun not yet risen, and the makeshift shelter quiet. The dew could practically be felt in the cold air, emanating from the grass and leaves and flower petals. One small bird dared a sinful chirp.

"I'm coming," Gohan whispered (although he no doubt thought it was a hiss), hopping out the door trying to put his shoe on with one arm and standing on one leg.

"Well hurry up, I have to get back before breakfast or Airee's gonna have her work cut out for her."

"I have someone to take care of too, you know,"

Videl snorted, "Gohan, you have _one_, very self-sufficient teenager to take care of. You have no right to talk back right now."

Either Gohan agreed or he was too distracted by the trying task of putting on his shoe, but he left that issue and the state of his pride to be decided by Videl.

In the end, Gohan managed his belligerent footwear and he and his female companion set out into the woods. A short walk away from the shelter and towards the waterfall they settled down upon a rock and log, and the lesson began.

Needless to say, the first of their lessons a week ago was a disaster. The first hour in particular. That's how long it took for Gohan to realize that he was dealing with a person who had no conception of what ki was, much less how to use it or push it from their center through their feet. Thus, after the laborious task of squinting her eyes and squaring her shoulders while her tense muscles refused to let out this infamous "ki" from her toes, Videl plopped down on the wet grass while Gohan commenced what could only be termed a lesson in the abstract.

He spoke of the properties of ki, how it was used, and the like.

"But I still don't _understand_. What does it _feel _like?"

"It's like—like—argh!" Gohan finally sighed and waved his arm in frustration, "like this," he held out his palm.

"Here, hold out your hand," and as he reached out to gently guide her fingers into his, the demi-Saiyan felt the ever-so-slight wave of déjà vu wash over him. Shaking it off, he arranged their hands so that both of their palms faced the sky, Videl's on top of his.

"Now, close your eyes and focus on the feeling on the back of your hand,"

Videl skeptically shut her eyes, wondering how much longer this lesson could reasonably go on. It was nearing time to return to the shelter, after all.

And then, she felt it. A tickle on the back of her hand.

There was no real way to describe it. It was like electricity and wind all at once. As if the shocking properties of electricity had been dimmed, they were now a gentle wave, constant and-- it was almost loving in its gentleness and in the way it seemed to complete her. The energy felt like it was part of her, and she could feel, in the pit of her stomach, what could only be her own ki reacting to Gohan's. Like a magnet it was being drawn out of her, not all the way, but enough so that when she opened her eyes and looked at her teacher's anxious face she could enthusiastically grin back.

By now Videl could teeter precariously a few feet off of the ground, only occasionally adjusting her balance. She mostly relied on Gohan for directions on her form and, reluctantly, to catch her when she drifted higher than she could maintain flight.

As Videl settled into her normal exercises, Gohan instead busied himself with his backpack, stowing it safely away underneath the fallen log. Videl raised her eyebrows at this unusual behavior, but continued stretching. Finally, Gohan looked up at her expectantly and at this she completely dropped guard and stared at her sensei.

"What?"

"I think you're ready for a real flight today,"

"I thought we were planning that for next week?"

"I was, but—no reason to be conservative about it. You can handle it,"

Videl was so excited she didn't question his motives in the slightest. All she knew was that she had been dreaming about this opportunity for weeks now and the butterflies in her stomach were beginning to flutter wildly.

"Alright, well let's do this!"

Gohan almost laughed out loud at her military-style mindset, the fierce look of determination on her face as if she was gearing up for a suicide mission that would save the earth.

Videl glared, "Don't mock me, Gohan, this is very serious stuff." And with that she confidently raised herself a full yard off of the ground, still staring down her sensei. Her expression broke however as she neared the treetops and her balance became unsteady. Openly laughing, Gohan bounced up to meet her and together they floated slowly over to the lake.

"This way, if you fall, I won't have to catch you!"

"_Not_ funny Gohan. That water is freezing," Videl grunted out as her flight wobbled and shook even more than usual.

"I'm just joking Videl. Now, try to relax, we're going to get this down this morning if it's the last thing I do!"

"Don't joke so lightly. It very well may be."

Lililililililililili

"C'mon, now that I know you can handle it, I've got a place to show you," Gohan beckoned as he shot off in the opposite direction, toward the wood.

As she gained speed, Videl grew increasingly nervous about what Gohan was planning. By now she had developed a definite attraction toward her mentor, but was extremely uneasy about the repercussions—should he feel the same way. But when they landed and Videl strained her eyes to see in the same direction as her companion, her fears subsided and she realized just what Gohan had led her to.

Tucked comfortably away between the side of a cliff and a dense growth of trees and brush was a small cottage, blended into the greenery and hardly visible at all. It certainly wasn't as striking a building as Flour Mansion, but after the previous run-in with the androids, Videl figured that was a good thing.

"It has a kitchen and a couple of bedrooms. I blasted out a whole in the back so that there's a cave shelter for you to keep extra supplies."

"Gohan, this is _wonderful!_" her blue eyes widened and she ran anxiously into the house, exploring and taking inventory of what remained in the abandoned home. Gohan followed sheepishly, hand scratching the back of his head and looking mildly pleased with himself.

"I'm glad you like it," Gohan smiled when Videl quickly rounded a corner and ran right into him, "once less thing I can worry about," he said dreamily, eyes drifting to the ceiling.

At this Videl frowned, "I can take care of myself, Gohan. It's not your responsibility. _I'm _not your responsibility. So don't worry about me, okay?"

Gohan sighed, walked over to the couch and put his head in his hands. _Not his responsibility. _Everything was his responsibility.

"I'm worried about so much more than you Videl. That attack on the mansion…." He barely spoke above a whisper.

She wasn't even sympathetic when replying, "What about it? They didn't know you knew me."

"Exactly. It means they're searching the countryside. They're looking for my mother."

Videl wasn't sure if she actually gasped or if it was her heart playing tricks on her, but the simple realization of what had been worrying Gohan for so long now plagued her. How could she have been so selfish? Surely she should have known there was more to his world than just her.

"Gohan, I'm sorry, I—"

"No, don't worry about it. I know you understand."

"I just wasn't thinking,"

"It's okay," somehow Videl knew he was being sincere, but it only made her feel worse. She felt urged to do something, though she didn't know what, so she did what felt natural at the moment and walked over and sat down, placed an arm around his shoulders and her head rested next to his neck. They sat together until one of them—neither remembered who—decided it was time to move the orphans to their new home.

Lililililililili

A celebration feast took place later that evening. For once they had an excess of food prepared, and none of the children except Pan had an early bedtime. They played board games, and duck-duck-goose, and red rover, and even the normally banned hide-n-seek was allowed. Even without their bedtime, so many of the children were wiped out from all that day's activity that they conked out in front of the fireplace over a game of chutes and ladders.

Videl and Gohan were on the couch behind, offering advice to different players, and the only one who seemed to notice their close proximity was Airee, who held a youngster to her chest while gently swinging in the rocking chair.

It was during this moment of peace that Gohan knew he could avoid telling Videl his plans no longer.

"Del," he leaned over and whispered, while everyone was looking away.

"What?" Videl listened with half-open ears; she was drifting off into complacency watching the fire crackle.

"I need to talk with you… alone, for a moment."

It took a few moments, but eventually Videl processed what he said, and dazedly allowed him to escort her out of the room into the hallway, not noticing however that he was now holding her hand.

Standing alone in the hallway, Videl's curiosity piqued when Gohan made a motion to bite his lip but refrained. He seemed uncommonly nervous, and for a moment Videl thought he looked like a dorky new student being introduced to a room full of intimidating classmates.

His voice finally came out, low and with its usual paradoxical tentative and yet sure air: "I'm going away with Trunks for the next four months."

"_Four months? _You're going to be gone that long? Why?"

"I thought we agreed that this is what is best for everyone?"

"Well, it is—uh—" Why was she mad at him again? Oh, right, he was leaving her for four months.

"Videl, this is what's best for everyone, you know it is. You're so strong, you don't need me. You never did," his words were meant to soothe her, but inside she was having a revelation of her own: about why Gohan had been so eager to set her and the orphans up so soon.

"This is why we went flying today. That was our final lesson, wasn't it?"

The demi-Saiyan nodded.

"Will you ever come back?"

Gohan smiled weakly, "As long as you're here, I will,"

No words were spoken. To an outsider, silence seemed to be all that passed between them, but in their consciousness they could hear; the crackling of the fire, the soft laughter of the few tired children who remained awake, even the whistle of the winter wind across the windows.

As often happened when Videl was with Gohan, she found that she had somehow placed herself in a way that augmented her inner feelings of insecurity. Her back was against the faded velvet wall, but before her seemed an even less promising route for escape, for there Gohan stood and even in his gentle and unassuming manner; his sheer size, his dark eyes reflecting the soft flicker coming from the fireplace around the corner, intimidated her and caused her heart to beat just a little faster.

Still a little scared, she fought the urge to turn her face away from his gaze, and instead leaned in to meet him halfway.

Lilililililililili

**A/n:**

Now, guys, we need to have a talk about this reviewing business. Namely, that I want you to do it. Please. I mean, really, pretty please. It's a little frustrating when you _know_ people are reading your story, apparently liking it and yet not telling you so. So please, _please _review. I need warm fuzzies. It helps me write.

It was like experiencing ki for the first time, except more potent and somehow even more personal.


	7. Away From Here

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes".

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue:**

Time passes and it's sweet and unguided. No guide, no rhyme, reason, or way to stop it. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Irrevocably gone once you've missed it. Obnoxiously present when it's not wanted. Time passes and it's sweet. Occasionally bittersweet. Sometimes like sugar. Often unnoticed.

**Chapter Seven: Away from Here**

The lightening crackled and flashed and the earth rumbled, reacting violently against the excess energy being produced by the two warring individuals by the shore. The sky seemed to take on the personalities of the two warriors. One half was a royal purple, peaceful and naive, the sun obscured by wisps of clouds. The other half of the sky radiated a vibrant orange and yellow, the kind that would have been peaceful and comforting if it wasn't for the bursts of lightening that insisted on disrupting the glorious sunset. Finally, after a succession of blows to his stomach and head, Trunks plummeted to the ground and crashed into the side of a cliff. Gohan followed afterward, slowly descending and reverting out of super-Saiyan. It was clear the master thought that the training had been enough for today, but his valiant pupil made one last attack from his place amongst the rocks that he easily dodged.

"You've got the heart, Trunks, but that's enough for today,"

"No! You said you'd push me to my—" and like a switch had been flipped in his brain, he fainted.

Gohan chuckled mildly and picked up his younger companion to put him in a more comfortable resting place. "I have pushed you to your limits, Trunks, and you've risen to the occasion." He then looked down sadly, "I'm sorry, my friend."

When Trunks awoke later that night, the lightening had stopped but the rain had only just begun and he found himself under small makeshift tend near where he had fallen. A fire blazed just in front of him, and the beginnings of a dinner were across from him. He heard footsteps before a familiar face popped into view.

"I see you've finally woken up," his master greeted good-naturedly.

"I could have kept fighting," Trunks insisted.

Settling into his place across the fire, Gohan sighed and continued where he had left off with the cooking. "Trunks, you passed out."

His pupil hung his head. Gohan laughed.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of! I'm proud of you for making it this far! Trunks—" he looked sternly across the fire until Trunks looked back into his eyes, "I'm proud of you. They all would be too." There was no need to clarify who "they" were. No one else occupied Trunks' mind more than their fallen companions, "Especially your dad."

A few moments passed in silence before Gohan felt a change of subject was appropriate.

"I'm visiting my mother tomorrow. She's been worried about me and I haven't seen her for a while. You're welcome to join me," he thought awhile and added, "She's a much better cook."

Trunks snorted, "not hard to be."

Gohan laughed, glad to see his friend back to normal, "I take that as a 'yes'?"

"Yeah,"

"Good, now eat your dinner!"

"Yes, _mother_."

Playfulness had found its way into a small sanctuary in the middle of a storm.

Lilililililil

"Gohan!" There was a shout of excitement from the kitchen and the banging of pots and pans and the clattering of wooden chairs being moved and the shuffle of feet as one Son ChiChi rushed her way out the door and to her son's side.

"Hi, Mom," Trunks watched as a gentle smile crossed his master's face and he embraced his mother.

"'Hi, Mom'? That's all you have to say?" Trunks chuckled, knowing a scolding when he heard one. "You leave me here, _alone_, never knowing what is going to happen to you or if I'll ever see you again. I never get _any_ news. I keep the radio on at _all _hours just so—just so—" the tears broke out, "just so I know that when the next attack comes, maybe I'll know that you're still alive!

"All because my baby—my poor baby—he has to be all, all—noble—like his father, an- and- _leave _his mommy, who loves him and is all alone—and—" At this point anything ChiChi said became indistinguishable between the way her tears and hiccups broke up her speech and the way Gohan clutched her to his chest as tightly as he could.

When she looked up with her tear-stained eyes at the end of her rant, she pulled away gently and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, I hope you're at least planning on staying for more than a few hours, this time,"

Gohan raised his arm behind to nervously scratch his head and immediately regretted it. When he first heard the gasp, he thought she was going to start crying again—had he reminded her too much of Dad?

"Your _arm!_ Where did your other arm go? Oh my God, my baby's missing his arm!"

Lilililili

Trunks had never met the legendary wife of Goku before, and couldn't help but feel that she didn't quite live up to his expectations. Everything about Goku was legendary and mystical in theory, and yet, his home, his wife and son, his small garden out front and the mountains he lived under were humble. Not unattractive, not unworthy, but--- humble. There, Trunks learned a great lesson from the great man he had never met: greatness needs its peace.

A place to find peace.

Lililililili

They had finally settled down in the living room, mother and sun relaxed on the old sofa, Trunks asleep in an armchair.

"Now, honey," ChiChi sipped quietly on her tea, "you must tell me-- why are you so nervous all of a sudden?" Gohan gave her a quizzical look; "don't look at me like I'm a fool, Gohan. You always come here with a mind to ease my worries and remind me how you can take care of us all. You try to be as confident as your dad was and all you ever do is worry about me.

"But something is bothering you and I want to know what. Is it Trunks? Do you not think he's strong enough?"

It took a few moments for Gohan's brain to catch up with what he was hearing. Once he understood he emphatically shook his head 'no'.

"It's nothing like that! Trunks is—Trunks is phenomenal. I couldn't ask for a better pupil."

"Then what has you so worried? It can't be me, I'm perfectly safe,"

"First of all, you are _not_ 'perfectly safe', and I do worry about you—every day—but you're here right now, so how could I be?"

"Then… it's a girl?" ChiChi gasped, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

On the other side of the sofa, Gohan was blushing bright red. How did this happen? One moment he was just catching up, enjoying some long-lost time with his mom, and then… How did she even know? His mother _must_ have a sixth sense or something…

"Oh you _do!_ Tell me about her! How did you even _meet_ her? When can _I_ meet her? Is she—" but before Gohan could find out what Videl might be, he cut his mother off.

"No, no, she's not my girlfriend, or at least… I haven't seen her in a long time, because I've been training Trunks. And I'm… nervous about meeting her again," he laughed nervously, having a chat about his personal relationships with his mother was not exactly what he had planned on doing today.

ChiChi nodded her head knowingly, "Well, all I've got to say is, if she's not crazy about you, that girl doesn't have two brain cells to rub together."

"Heh, thanks Mom."

Lilililililiili

Videl sighed. The boxes were packed, the food stored away, and the truck outside waiting.

Two weeks ago she had been approached by an older man in a once fashionable business suit while picking up groceries for the shelter. He was a reputable person, one whose name she could identify from the radio, and she recognized his voice. He offered her an opportunity—well, the children an opportunity—to join the underground shelter at St. Patrick's.

It was a larger shelter than hers that was surprisingly mobile and underground—in every sense of the word. Sewers, caves, old buildings, bomb shelters, basements—they were an extensive organization with more resources available to them than Videl could even pretend to offer. There were teachers—real teachers and professors—who could teach all the necessary skills for not only survival, but also future rebellion. Videl never made it to middle school—how could she offer that? Families found the shelter—sometimes reunited! This was what the children needed, and as much as it hurt to let go, surely they were safer where they were going. After all, under her care she already had lost almost two dozen children to illness or the androids. Two android attacks in one year? Inconceivably dangerous. But they had better medicine at St. Patrick's. Better shelters. No one could deny that.

So she reluctantly let go. And they were leaving today.

The boxes were packed, the food stored away, and the truck outside waiting.

Lilililililili

He couldn't deny for much longer how he ached to see her. He'd long since numbed feelings pain from a punch to his gut, or a swift kick to his head, from feverish way his body ached when he had trained for too long, from the sleepless weeks his spent training, and from wind rushing past his skin so fast it burned. But his anxiety about their next meeting never left.

He'd managed to put it out of his mind for a while—his training and teaching were intense enough distractions—but whenever he lay to rest she came back unbidden. Every time, he kicked himself. Analyzed every moment of their farewell and wish he'd done more here, less there. Hadn't muddled up that one time. Then maybe he could have been clear. Then maybe there would be no way for him to doubt that she couldn't possibly doubt--- what it all had meant. Four months and he hadn't seen her. Would she still care? After all, they had only just--- and then he left.

Four months was a long time. Four months was plenty of time for her to be convinced that it didn't mean anything to him. Four months was plenty of time for her to decide she wasn't interested. That she just wanted to be friends. But somehow in his analysis of time, Son Gohan forgot one very important lesson. One so cliché it managed to slip right under his radar—even though it was the very cliché responsible for his own feelings.

_Absence makes the heart grow fonder._

Lililililili

"Thank you, ma'am, I know this must be hard, but…" Videl nodded, holding back a choking sensation in the back of her throat as she watched her charges file silently—sleepily—into the underground shelter. "It's what's best. What you've done for them up until now was noble, they will always be indebted to you, and they'll never forget. I promise, I still remember then elderly couple who took care of me when I was first orphaned." He was trying to make her feel better, she knew this and appreciated the effort but nothing could really ease the pain of seeing so many of her—children? —leave her. No, they weren't her children. None of them were her—

"Wait!" her head shot up when she saw a young assistant carrying a wailing Pan toward the door. Both the man who had been talking to her earlier, and the woman carrying Pan looked at her quizzically.

"I'm her family."

Why couldn't she let go of Pan? Of all the children she cared for… she was equally reluctant to see all of them go, but Pan…

"She's mine, she's…" Videl knew they weren't believing her… what could she do? Frantically, she pulled out a worn-out wallet from her back pocket. There was no money inside, but it wasn't money she was looking for.

"This is her father—my --- my--- my husband." And she pulled out the picture inside, an old Polaroid of Pan bouncing happily on Gohan's lap. Videl was nearby on the couch, smiling at them. Airee had taken the photo the night Gohan left, just hours before Pan went down to bed, and Videl had kept it safely tucked away.

This seemed to be a more convincing case. Pan didn't look much like Videl, but she carried an uncanny resemblance to Gohan—something in their eyes. And the way he held her in the photo—how could he be anything _but_ her father? You can't fake that kind of love.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize,"

"It's alright," Videl interrupted, and ran toward Pan, who jumped into her warm arms and snuggled her round head deep into the crook of Videl's neck, her crying immediately ceased.

Pan was her own. The first child she had raised entirely from infancy. The first child she had raised-- would raise-- with Gohan.

Lilililillili

The night air was cool, sweetly wiping the sweat off his back as he flew over the forest, toward the safe haven that was Videl's residence. He passed over a lake—the very one he had threatened to push her into their last lesson—it was deep midnight blue and perfectly still. He could practically feel the life teeming beneath its glassy surface. Such peace in the night. Such harmony in nature. Surely, _surely_, this was nature's way of telling him what good was coming. _Surely_ this was only a glimpse of the happiness to come.

He found the small home tucked away just as it had been all those months ago, but before he even knocked on the door, dread swept over him. He could sense what lay on the other side.

The cottage was empty. There was no life. Walking through the front door and every room only confirmed what his ki-sense told him must be true. The scarce pieces of furniture that had been there before still remained, but the house was as unoccupied as the first time he had seen it.

She was gone.

They were all gone. He numbly walked back toward the living room to the very hallway they had—

He paused and felt a choking in his throat. He put his hand on the wall—right where her face had looked up at him that night. He could see her clearly. Hear her perfectly. Smell her, taste her.

He stood like that, all through the rest of the night, not hearing anything. Just before dawn broke, the door creaked open.

Her heart stopped.

His jumped back to life.

Lilililili

Time passes and it's sweet and unguided

One year.

No guide, no rhyme, reason, or way to stop it.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway.

Unbiased. Unprejudiced.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway, the children laughing in the background while the fire crackles.

Irrevocably gone once you've missed it.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway, the children laughing in the background while the fire crackles. A passion they didn't know existed is born.

Obnoxiously present when it's not wanted.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway, the children laughing in the background while the fire crackles. A passion they didn't know existed is born. The wait between when they see each other draws on.

Time passes and it's sweet.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway, the children laughing in the background while the fire crackles. A passion they didn't know existed is born. The wait between when they see each other draws on. The heartbreak they know is coming is forgotten.

Occasionally bittersweet.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway, the children laughing in the background while the fire crackles. A passion they didn't know existed is born. The wait between when they see each other draws on. The heartbreak they know is coming is forgotten. What else have they forgotten? Their senses are occupied with each other.

Sometimes like sugar.

One year. A kiss in an empty hallway, the children laughing in the background while the fire crackles. A passion they didn't know existed is born. The wait between when they see each other draws on. The heartbreak they know is coming is forgotten. What else have they forgotten? Their senses are occupied with each other. There is no real way to describe it. It is like electricity and wind all at once. As if the shocking properties of electricity have dimmed, they are now a gentle wave, constant and--- it loves. In its gentleness and in the way it completes her. Gohan is part of her, and she can feel, in the pit of her stomach, what can only be her own ki reacting to Gohan's. Like a magnet it is drawn out of her, enough so that when she opens her eyes and looks at his anxious face she can enthusiastically grin back.

Often unnoticed.

One year.

Lililililili

"C'mon Panny-baby, let's give this another try." Videl cooed, urging her young infant up on her feet. Pan readily pulled herself up on her feet, using the old coffee table as support, but when Videl backed away and held out her arms, she just plopped right back down again.

"Oh, baby, I _know_ you can do it!"

Over in the corner Gohan laughed, "Yes, Del, but why would she when she has two willing parents to carry her everywhere?" Despite his good-natured smile, he looked completely worn, slumped across the armrest in his baggy pajamas, though it was well past noon.

"Hmph. Well fine then. We'll just not carry her around anymore," and she huffed off to the kitchen where the unmistakeable smell of burnt bacon was wafting through the air.

Pan looked alarmingly at her father as if to ask, "is she being serious?", and he only shrugged. She then looked down at her feet, wrapped snuggly in pink ruffle-socks and sighed in defeat.

The jig was up.

"Uuuuh, Del?" Gohan hollered, not quite believing his eyes.

"_What?_" the clanking of pots and pans followed her agitated voice into the living room.

"You might wanna come see this,"

Videl rounded the corner just in time to see Pan finish pulling her self up and start walking toward her. Her mouth dropped and the spatula she was holding clattered to the floor.

"Panny!" she squealed, all her earlier agitation forgotten. She picked up her and swung her around in the air. "I'm so proud of you! You're such a big girl! Yes you are! Such a big girl, walking all _by yourself_." Pan gurgled, hiding her obvious pleasure and wondering why she didn't show off her new trick any sooner.

"Can you do it again, honey?" Videl set Pan back on the ground and squatted a few feet away. Pan waddled over like she'd been doing this for ages. Videl laughed aloud and the two of them began repeating the process with no lesser joy the fifth and sixth time as the first. Gohan watched bemused, soaking in the unadulterated happiness of his little "family". Family… were they his family? Of course.

"Del?"

"Hm?" she mindlessly queried, her blue eyes focused on the bouncing toddler. Light streamed in from the window, highlighting her dark and un-brushed hair. Her clothes were wrinkled… casual. Her eyes spilled happiness and from her fingertips she radiated her joy into the small, round being before her.

"Will you marry me?"

Time passes and it's sweet and unguided. No guide, no rhyme, reason, or way to stop it. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Irrevocably gone once you've missed it. Obnoxiously present when it's not wanted. Time passes and it's sweet. Occasionally bittersweet. Sometimes like sugar. Often unnoticed.

This time, appreciated.

Lilililililililili

**A/n:**

Thank you for the phenomenal response to my last chapter, you guys are great! Keep reviewing, it helps me write more than you can imagine!


	8. Dream a Little

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes". If you would like to read it (and I suggest you do), it is in my Favorite Stories section on my profile page. Lyrics to "She's Everything" belong to Brad Paisley.

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue**

She's a yellow pair of running shoes

A holey pair of jeans

She looks great in cheap sunglasses

She looks great in anything

She's I want a piece of chocolate

Take me to a movie

She's I can't find a thing to wear

Now and then she's moody

She's a Saturn with a sunroof

With her brown hair a-blowing

She's a soft place to land

And a good feeling knowing

She's a warm conversation

That I wouldn't miss for nothing

She's a fighter when she's mad

And she's a lover when she's loving

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

I talk about her, I go on and on and on

'Cause she's everything to me

She's a Saturday out on the town

And a church girl on Sunday

She's a cross around her neck

And a cuss word 'cause its Monday

She's a bubble bath and candles

Baby come and kiss me

She's a one glass of wine

And she's feeling kinda tipsy

She's the giver I wish I could be

And the stealer of the covers

She's a picture in my wallet

Of my unborn children's mother

She's the hand that I'm holding

When I'm on my knees and praying

She's the answer to my prayer

And she's the song that I'm playing

She's the voice I love to hear

Someday when I'm ninety

She's that wooden rocking chair

I want rocking right beside me

Everyday that passes

I only love her more

Yeah, she's the one

That I'd lay down my own life for

And she's everything I ever wanted

And everything I need

She's everything to me

**Chapter Eight: Dream a Little**

I sigh inwardly, resting my head against the doorframe of Pan's room. Moonlight from the small, foliage-covered window creeps across the floor and rests on her dainty black curls. Her skin is white as winter's kiss, her cheeks plump against the bedspread. A breeze passes through the window and I smile as her tiny fist clutches slightly tighter around her worn blanket. There is something about the way she dreams that is so mesmerizing that it surpasses perfection. I close my eyes, committing this night to memory, my every moment with Pan and every sensation felt by my senses from the smell of dinner to the feel of her dozing off against my breast. If Gohan had been here, it would have been the perfect night, a relieved escape into normalcy and comfort.

I try to create from memory the only thing that could make me as complete as the infant infront of me. I envision his arms snaking around my waist and holding me close to his chest as he comes up behind me and nuzzles his face into my hair. What I wouldn't give to hear the deep inhale of his breath next to my ear and feel the tickle on my neck as he exhales! But not tonight. Tonight he recovers at Bulma's from his battle with the androids. Just as he did the night before, and the week before that… as lesser woman would have sobbed at the thought, and though my chest aches knowing of his pain, I am proud of him.

Casting a final look at my slumbering daughter, I push off the doorframe and gently close the door, turning around to face the bedroom that is directly attached. Feet in slippers pad their way across the carpet and I settle into bed, content to be under covers and ready for sleep to crash down upon me.

Lililililili

It is nearly four in the morning when Gohan pushes the front door open to the hidden cottage and pulls his shoes, dried with mud, off his feet. Recovery at Bulma's had gone swiftly, and though the scientist protested otherwise, he decided not to spend the night in sleep in her lab, and had flown as carefully as he could to his family's retreat in the woods. He's lost sleep, and the time he spends with Videl and Pan tonight will not be while either of them are awake, but seeing them so close when he would otherwise only be dreaming of them has made the travel worth it.

He spends tireless moments gazing upon his daughter, striking the same pose as his fiancé only hours ago, the same smile playing upon his lips. The child's beauty doesn't seem to end, her innocence as eternal and reliable as her deep breathing against the mattress. Once in a while her nose scrunches up as some smell drifts through the window, but mostly she is still. Breathing. Sighing. Dreaming. Gohan risks a kiss on her forehead before closing the door shut and returning to the room where his wife-to-be sleeps.

He awakens her gently, only wanting to see her groggy smile when she realizes he is there, and then to rock her back into slumber.

Lililililili

I was fast asleep, and peacefully dreaming, when gentle shaking starts to bring me to consciousness. I am barely awake, just able to register who it is doing the waking, and I smile faintly, hoping it is enough to convey how happy I am to see him. He smiles back and I'm confident enough that he understands to close my eyes and drift back to dreamland. He guides my voyage there, stroking my arm and kissing my hair, my vigilant guide into nights of bliss.

My heart pounds against my chest whenever he touches me. No one has a touch quite like Son Gohan's. Submitting yourself to his touch means surrendering yourself to complete and utter adoration. It means allowing your every curve and crevice to be worshiped and caressed. At first, it was a little unnerving, seeing how transfixed he was, running a finger softly across my jaw bone. Surely, if he was staring that intently, he could spy those very small hairs along my upper lip, or those acne scars near my hairline, or at least the bags under my eyes from so many sleepless nights waiting for him. But no. He looks. His eyes sparkle. And he whispers, "you're so beautiful", before kissing me gently on the lips.

…

It has been two years since he first saved me from the androids.


	9. Meeting

**A tribute to my favorite couple of all time. No pun intended.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DBZ. Credit for the idea of this story must go to Psycho Ann and her story "Close Your Eyes". If you would like to read it (and I suggest you do), it is in my Favorite Stories section on my profile page.

**A Day in Paradise**

**Prologue**

I've fallen into a world of white. Cherry blossoms swirl around me, lightly caressing my skin and through this lace veil I can see my father next to me. He's grinning from ear to ear, and fighting off his tears. I feel my heart twist at the sight—even though I sometimes wanted nothing more than to be away from him, even though he could be so ridiculous, he's my father and we're about to say good-bye.

But the music is changing, and with a renewed anxiety I prepare to take my first steps. My father grips my arm firmly, and together we walk between the rows of chairs. I don't know if it's the crowd, the cherry blossoms, the anxiety, the fear of tripping on my dress—but I can't see where I'm going. But I put one foot in front of the other; something inside me says this is the right direction.

Finally, I see him. Up until this point I didn't know where I was, or what I was doing. But amidst the whirlwind of white I can see his sleek black tux, dark hair and fathomless eyes. He gives me that lopsided grin that makes my stomach do cartwheels, and when he takes my hand I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

But I can't stay here forever, and as I feel consciousness coming on, I fight to keep the memory I never had.

**Chapter Nine: Meeting**

Videl could feel herself coming-to as the sun peaked through the window and started to warm her face, but she stubbornly kept her eyes closed, watching the scene play out in her mind, albeit hazier with every passing moment. Her father was giving her away, then the priest was speaking, then Gohan (Pan was running around in the bedroom next door), then her, then the priest again (Just get to the kiss!), and _finally _the moment closed in, Videl smiled, and contentedly opened her eyes. At least she'd married him once.

Stretching, she started to make the bed as the first part of her morning routine. It wasn't the first time she'd had such a life-like dream, one which seemed to come from another world completely. She'd had many by now, all centered around Gohan and Pan, but with occasional appearances by her father and other friends. Even though Hercule had died so many years ago, his lifelike aging in her subconscious still took her by surprise. She even felt things toward these people—her father, Erasa, Gohan—that she knew didn't stem from her own reality. She had never shown any teenage rebellion toward her father, and yet in all her dreams there was this feeling of reconciliation whenever she saw him. And sometimes her dream-self laughed at the irony—she didn't know why—of her relationship with Gohan. And although they were generally pleasant dreams, she tried not to dwell on them too much.

"Pan, come get your breakfast," came a soft voice from next door. Both mother and daughter answered the call, the latter with eager footsteps bouncing out the door and down the stairs, the former by poking her head out the bedroom door and laughing.

"Now I know you did not do any cooking, Mr. Son,"

"And why is that?" Gohan asked, in mock defense.

"Because I don't smell anything burning," she joked, and kissed him good-morning.

"Are you ready for our adventure, today?" he murmured.

"A little nervous, but yes," she replied.

"It won't be that long of a journey—"

"Oh it's not the journey I'm afraid of," Videl interrupted. "It's meeting your mother… and grandfather. I have one week to make a good impression. That's a lot of pressure, mister." She said, poking a finger into his chest.

"I wish it could be longer too, but I don't like having all my eggs in one basket."

"Of course, I know that. Now c'mon, I want to see what the Master Chef has prepared for us this morning."

Lililililililililili

"Are you ready, Pan?" Videl asked, amused by her her three year-old daughter's excitement. Pan was in full camping gear, wide-eyed and clutching the straps of her backpack, she'd been preparing for the last week in anticipation of the Great Journey to Grandma's.

Gohan chuckled while he closed the door on their hidden house. Videl hid it well, but he knew she was just as excited as Pan. He, on the other had, would prefer not to risk either of his precious girls out in the open, but they weren't exactly the type of women you could keep fenced in.

"Ready for Gran-Ma!" Pan squealed.

"Alright, troops, let's get going," Gohan said while pocketing the keys (more to ward against errant robbers than the androids) and pulling on his own backpack. The key today was to travel using as little ki as possible while still traveling fast and minimizing time in the open. It was going to be difficult, but the it seemed the stars had aligned—he was recuperated from the last attack, the androids weren't in the area (as far as he could tell), Trunks and Bulma were safe at the moment… he had no more excuses to put off the journey.

The truth was, Gohan thought as they made their way through their forest home in the direction of the mountains, he wanted nothing more than to go camping with Pan out in the forest he'd known since childhood and through the canyons he'd explored under the tutelage of Piccolo, and tell her the same stories his father had told him so many years ago about their beautiful wilderness home. Everything about this trip was walking a fine line—travel fast, but don't use ki; teach Pan about his wilderness, but don't waste time; protect Pan but let her enjoy her freedom—and it was winding him up too tight.

"Calm down, honey," Videl whispered and took his arm. "It's going to be alright, look at her!" Up in front Pan was jumping around, clasping her hands and trying to catch butterflies, albeit unsuccessfully. Gohan nodded grimly and watched as Pan caught sight of a squirrel and quietly started to stalk it while it stored nuts in its mouth. She was creeping tip-toe behind the unsuspecting creature when he suddenly saw her and bolted toward a large oak. Pan sprinted after him and tried to scramble up the trunk but started slipping halfway and fell with a loud "thump!" at the bottom. Above her the squirrel started hurling acorns at her until she ran away, covered in mud.

Gohan couldn't help it anymore. He laughed and ran after her, scooping her up and swinging his only daughter around like an airplane.

Lilililililili

"Papa! It's time to come in for dinner now," a soft voice called from inside to Son house at the base of Mount Poazu. Sighing, the Ox Kind set down the hoe he'd been using in the home's garden and, wiping his brow, headed back into the house.

"Have you seen them yet?" ChiChi asked, setting a plate down in front of him before taking her own seat at the table.

"No, but we don't even know if they're coming this week, ChiChi. Gohan said it could be anytime."

The Ox Princess scoffed, a shadow of her old-self surfacing on her features, "what kind of planning is that, anyway? Doesn't he know it takes a lot to get ready for a wedding? He can't just _show up_." She shook her head, "so like a man."

The Ox King just laughed. "Well he _is _a man now, Chi. And it's _good_ planning, the kind that avoids the androids," he pointed out.

His daughter sighed and gazed out the window where the sun was just starting to set, "I know."

Dinner continued in more or less the usual manner, casual conversation between father and daughter followed by swift clearing of the plates. There wasn't much to say these days, what with the two of them living alone and having little connection to the outside world. It wasn't until ChiChi was midway through washing dishes that she looked up from the soap suds to see the three figures walking toward the house, the last rays of sun setting behind them. ChiChi gasped and dropped her plate back into the sink, running outside to meet her son and the rest of her family she'd never met.

Gohan and Videl each held one of Pan's hands and were swinging her back and forth between them when Pan suddenly squealed "Gran-Ma!" and let go, running full speed ahead toward a tiny figure in the distance.

ChiChi did the same, running and smiling with arms wide open to hug her granddaughter. "Panny!"

They met in the middle of the field and hugged like the greatest friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"Oh Gohan, she's beautiful! And so big!" ChiChi exclaimed as her son walked up to the gleeful duo.

"I know," Gohan bent down to give his mother a kiss. Behind him Videl put on her best smile and held out her hand.

"Mrs. Son, I'm Videl. It's very nice to meet you."

ChiChi didn't reply but gave Videl a scrutinizing look, checking her up and down several times before nodding her head in approval.

"It's nice to meet you too, of course. Come on in! I still have some dinner. Are you hungry?" she asked, turning to the girl in her arms.

"Mommy already made sandwiches," Pan replied.

ChiChi frowned. Sandwiches clearly did not constitute dinner. "Well I have rice, and fish, and yummy vegetables!" Behind their back Videl was silently fuming and Gohan kept looking back and forth between the two women, wondering how to put out a fire that hadn't started yet. Thankfully, he didn't have to, as ChiChi carried Pan back into the house thus giving Videl enough time to mentally recuperate and settle down.

"C'mon Mommy! Daddy!" Pan shouted, and side-by-side her parents followed her into the little house at the base of the mountain.

Lililililili

**A/n: **I know, I know. I'm an erratic updater.

Please review!


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